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MAGAZINE- APRIL 2012 EDITION
MISSION STATEMENT We aim to be an active Christian Church open to all, meeting together for worship, teaching and prayer and offering loving care and support to all. We work alongside other Christian Churches reaching out into the community with love.
Dear Friends, According to what we learned at nursery (however defined!) April is known for its showers. I wonder if that will be true of this year. We are beginning to realise the blessing of rain, and to look for it without saying 'the weather is bad'. The four rivers flowing through Hertford are doing so, I understand, at only about 40% of what should currently be swishing through the town. The sign of a good citizen will be a dirty car and a brown lawn (for those lucky enough to have either or both!) But one thing that is certain about April this year - and most years – is Easter. The date of Easter is set by a lunar calendar; on average one year in four it is the last Sunday in March, the other years it is April. It is related to the Passover festival and the Jewish calendar is a lunar-based timescale. Regardless of when it is, the important thing is what it is we celebrate. It is at the heart of our Christian Faith. lthough Christmas is the festival that the general population celebrates - cuddly babies are always good for ooh-ing and ah-ing at - Easter is the festival that holds the meaning of the Christian Faith. There is nothing soft and sentimental about the Easter story, no cute misty pictures here. It is a horribly violent end to a person's earthly life, and an astounding, breath-taking beginning to everlasting life. Believing in Easter is no easy option: it defies human explanation, it is for us an assertion of faith, not knowledge, and not logical explanation. For the fortunate few, a large handful of people, who saw the Risen Christ, it was knowledge, it was personal experience in a physical, empirical way. Yet Jesus counted everyone else who believes as 'blessed' (John 20.28): Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. That's us! We are blessed! Why are we blessed? For our own sake and salvation, certainly, but that's not all. there's more! We are blessed so that the people around us can be blessed too! When we've news as good as we have, we are not expected to keep it to ourselves. The Mary Magdalenes, the Bartimaeuses, the Legions, the Zacchaeuses, the centurions with their sick servants or friends, the rich young rulers and so on are still out there, by any other name. They are waiting for a blessing from God. They may not even think it is possible, but then, neither did those who came to the tomb and found it empty. For them it was an uncomfortable shock that took a while to sink in and only then did it become a source of great joy and hope. God's power was first bewildering, then reassuring, then the amazing nature of God's involvement with us sinks in and takes hold. That's the kind of blessing we are able to share! So we can say, hand on heart, 'Happy Easter'; we say it for ourselves and we say it for those around! Happy Easter indeed! David Thank you to Jan Carter again for these good thoughts… Begin with Prayer Claim this Promise. Laugh Away Remember the Sabbath It’s called the Sabbath………….one day in seven God tells us to take time out for him Let God Handle it Accept Christ’s Rest That’s why Jesus said, ‘ Come unto me and I will give you rest’. Being with Jesus ultimately leads to calm.
EASTER PROGRAMME Sunday 1 st Maundy Thursday 5 th Good Friday 6 th Saturday 7 th Easter Sunday 8 th
Overheard on the bus These words brought to mind a poem I’d learned as a child..
Morfydd Lee Why did Jesus fold the napkin? On that first Easter morning, John’s gospel (20:7) tells us that when Peter stooped and when into the tomb, he found the linen wrappings that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in, thrown to one side. But the napkin, which had been placed over the face of Jesus, was neatly folded, and placed at the head of that stony coffin. Why? Why should Jesus fold the napkin after his resurrection? The significance of the folded napkin might be found in Hebrew tradition of the day. When a servant waited on his master at the dinner table, and the master was done eating, he would rise from the table and toss the napkin to one side. But when the master was not finished, he would fold his napkin to indicate that though he had left the table for the moment, he was coming back. When Jesus folded his napkin, could it be that he was saying to the world: I may be leaving now, but – I am coming back! One day, the Bible teaches us, he WILL!
Steam up. Trip to Mangapps Railway. Make a note in your diary now. 1. Tuesday 12th June 2012. PM, mid afternoon into evening. This was a popular event last year and those who came along had a thoroughly enjoyable evening, I am sure this year will be no exception. Once again offering a turn at the regulator of a steam engine, a drive of a diesel, entrance to the museum, PLUS fish and chips, all included in the cost. I expect the tea shop will be open, all we need is sunshine!. Estimated journey time (in the bus 1hr 40 mins). We cannot pick up or collect en route. The only collection / drop off point is New Road. Hertford. Check out www.mangapps.co.uk Postal Address for payment. Please include your details if posting. Our local touring choir, Hertford Voices, are hosting the Laudate Choir from Wildeshausen, Hertford's German twin town, from 17 th-20 th May, and the two choirs will be giving a free concert in Haileybury Chapel on Saturday 19 th May. We were anticipating 30-40 visitors, but have now heard that 59 will be coming! We’ve accommodated most of them but a few more hosts are needed and any help will be most welcome. They will arrive on Thursday evening (around 6pm) and leave after breakfast on Sunday. They will simply require B&B plus a couple of other meals. They represent a range of singers from the church choir, gospel choir and youth choir, and are all likely to be fluent English speakers. If you think you might be able to help, or would like more information, please let Trish Goldsmith know on 01992 589730 or email trishmgoldsmith@btinternet.com Thank you.
So far, Lord ……. Dear Lord So far today, I've done alright on my own. I haven't gossiped, and I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been grumpy, nasty or selfish, and I'm really glad of that! But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot of help. Thank you! Amen.
BBC announces centre-piece of its Easter output BBC1 is to broadcast a live modern adaptation of the Passion story following a string of hit live events on BBC3. The 1 x 60-minute programme due to be broadcast on Good Friday, follows live event performances including Frankenstein’s Wedding in Leeds, the Passion in Manchester and the nativity story from Liverpool, which have all been aired on BBC3. The Preston Guild is working with the BBC to give a real sense of the City. Over 1,000 local people are expected to take part in a contemporary performance which will draw on the themes from the passion story. Three pre-recorded dramas using themes from the passion story and based on Preston’s culture and history will also feature in the programme. The stories will follow a mill owner who has to make a decision that affects the lives of his workers, a woman who looked after some of the 3.5m soldiers who passed through Preston train station in WW1, and a modern story about a careworker. BBC head of religion and ethics, and executive producer, Aaqil Ahmed said the programme will “form the centre piece of the BBC’s religious programming for 2012”.
As Christians in the West celebrate Easter with open joy and services and hymns, spare a thought for Christians for whom Easter will be silently observed this year, on pain of possible death...this following article is longer than normal, but an important reminder of what the worldwide Church is facing today . A sombre reflection on Christian persecution today Muslim-majority countries including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Iran, represent nine of the top ten countries where persecution is most severe and where indigenous Christians have little freedom to worship. The reality for Christian believers from a Muslim background is that they must live as ‘Secret Believers’, hiding their faith from the government, their community and even their own families. While many thought the Arab Spring would increase their freedom to exist, to choose and to worship, this has so far not been the case. In a number of countries persecution has increased significantly. In Sudan, where the creation of a new nation – South Sudan - left Christians of (North) Sudan isolated, President Omar al-Bashir has vowed to make the country more Islamic. In Nigeria Christians have frequently been the targets of murderous attacks by Islamist group, Boko Haram, which have claimed the lives of hundreds of Christians. In Egypt, a bomb attack on the Church of the Two Saints in Alexandria on New Year’s Day 2011 and the Maspero massacre in Cairo in October, where Coptics were peacefully protesting against church closures, resulted in the deaths of nearly 50 Christians. Behind the figures a number of global trends are apparent: The rise of Islamic conservatism has resulted in an exodus of the Christian church in the Middle East. Christians in the Middle East number over 17 million, the majority of whom are Orthodox. The most spectacular exodus of Christians in recent times has occurred in Iraq. There are now barely 300,000 believers after dreadful persecution from Shia and Sunni militants, down from roughly one million in 1991. Steep declines are seen in other areas too. Less than a generation ago, Bethlehem was 85% Christian. Now, it is less than 15%. Jerusalem was 53% Christian in 1922, now the proportion is 2%. The rise of the Muslim-background believer movement has formed a new branch of the church, especially in Iran. Although reliable numbers are hard to come by, the last twenty years – and especially the past ten – have seen a hugely significant turning to Christ among Muslims. Satellite TV and the internet have been crucial catalysts, and MBBs now number around 360,000 of the total Christian population of 460,000 in Iran. The collapse of European Communism has led to the freeing of Eastern Europe’s Christians. However, some Eastern European countries remain hazardous places in which to practise the Christian faith. In Belarus, for example, President Lukashenko remains a virtual despot in the time-honoured Communist fashion. The clash between African Christianity and Islamic extremism in the Sahel belt continues. Northern Nigeria is the persecution horror story of the early 21st century. Thousands of Christians have died there at the hands of Islamic extremists. Somalia is so lawless and extremist today that it is virtually impossible to be a Christian there and live. The events of 9/11 have provoked an aggressive secularist backlash against religion and the church, where governments are anti-religious in their approach and attempt to purge religion from public life. The explosive growth of Christianity experienced under Communism in China has resulted in the world’s largest – and potentially most significant – persecuted church, which conservative estimates place at 80 million.
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